During a period of global financial uncertainty, the question of whether an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure becomes more relevant. Add to that increases in preventable chronic diseases, stress-related illness, and the number of older workers as some baby boomers postpone retirement either by necessity or through phased retirement programs, and the case for taking preventative measures becomes that much stronger. In short, the need to tighten the corporate belt when it comes to benefit plan costs combined with the requirement for a healthy, productive workforce means that wellness/health initiatives may begin to escalate in importance for senior leadership.

The 2008 sanofi-aventis Healthcare Survey looked specifically at prevention. While more than three-quarters of plan members stated they were worried about developing cancer, 70% stated the possibility of heart disease was a concern, over half mentioned diabetes, and a third cited obesity and mental illness as health fears, very few respondents had a clear idea of the risk factors associated with each condition. Moreover, as the report points out, merely providing opportunities for healthy lifestyle choices doesn’t necessarily mean that workers will use them. While 37% of employees had access to some sort of workplace wellness program, only four in 10 said they used them with any regularity.

Measures designed to encourage healthy living so as to offset as much as possible the occurrence of preventable conditions should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, a holistic approach to promoting recovery, wellness, engagement, even work/life balance should be adopted. Viewing all aspects of employee health through the larger lens of organizational health will assist an employer in implementing a health plan that gets to the root of current symptoms, and works to prevent them in the future.

The starting point is to develop a workplace health promise that aligns with the company’s employee value proposition (EVP). The EVP describes to workers what it’s like to work at the organization and what’s expected of them; the health promise defines what both parties commit to in terms of employee health. For example, the health promise may include items like ensuring workplaces are ergonomically designed to reduce the possibility of injury, that injured workers will have the time off they need to recover, that back-to-work measures will be implemented to facilitate a return to productivity, and so on.

The health promise can also include a commitment on the part of the employer to help employees prevent the onset of various conditions. If so, the next step is to define objectives and measures. Too often, employers and service providers focus on participation. The end goal should not be to build numbers but to focus on behaviour change in those who really need to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Success can be measured, for example, by looking at whether absenteeism decreases, the number of employees treated for certain diseases goes down, or whether there is a reduction in the number of smokers.

Related Links

Programs must create results with a lasting impact on individual and corporate health. Education is an essential component. Employees must be made aware of risk factors for certain diseases and how to prevent them. Online learning courses make it much easier to provide this type of information. Of course, asking employees to complete a health risk assessment (HRA) can be even more impactful, given the individualized nature of the information received.

The key then is to move employees from “knowing” to “doing.” Employers must communicate the desired behaviour change. The focus is placed on implementing and communicating initiatives that will have the biggest impact and that align with the organization’s EVP. Employees need to hear a consistent message that healthy, productive workers are important to the organization, and that the employer will provide programs that are designed to enable workers to maintain or achieve that state. If employees are made aware of the “big picture” and how various programs—the employee assistance program (EAP), the HRA, fitness initiatives, healthy meals in the cafeteria, vacation, flexible hours, the health benefits program, and so on—all tie together to accomplish the goal of assisting them to live healthy and productive lives, there is more likelihood of a positive impact on overall employee engagement.

There are many factors to consider when implementing an effective prevention program. However, the key elements are clear:

• when determining what measures to implement, link individual programs to the larger health promise which in turn aligns with the EVP;

• educate employees, but make them aware of solutions, not just problems;

• when communicating about programs, incent employees to take positive action and ensure they understand how various programs relate to each other and the overall EVP in order to enhance engagement.

Factors beyond our control—financial turmoil, the rising cost of healthcare, government offloading of services—are having a tremendous impact on the ability of today’s businesses to contain the price tag of benefit plans. The solution for some may lie in taking preventative measures now.

Sarah Beech is Managing Principal, Consulting for Hewitt Associates in Canada. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the benefits industry, the last 16 with Hewitt.

If you’d like to comment on this story, click here.